Suicide is a significant and preventable public health issue. On average, there are two to three times as many suicides in the Commonwealth as homicides. In 2007, the latest year for which mortality data are available, there were 504 recorded suicides among Massachusetts residents. In comparison, there were 183 homicides in that same year. The impact of suicide is enormous: it is estimated, very conservatively, that for every suicide completion there are six loved ones who are left behind to experience the particularly complicated grief that comes from losing someone to suicide.